"The Everyday Life of a Working Artist" is a new daily conversation about my life as an artist.
Join me as I juggle family, painting, marketing and all of the other things I am lucky enough to cram in to a single day.

The Everyday Life of a Working Artist

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Attention! My blog is moving to my website in early January 2016. If you are receiving daily emails about this blog you will continue to receive them after the switch. Until then, you might want to head on over to my new blog here!

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Here is my "collage" of the 30 paintings I completed this month. I created it with an on-line program called picmonkey. Just go to PicMonkey and select "create a collage". You can use one of their designs or you can design your own. To make a collage with 30 photos you will need to design your own (or you can use one with close to 30 spaces and just add the additional ones). Then you can drag your uploaded photos in to the collage until you are done. (When you drag in a photo, you can see where to place the photos as you move them around. If you move them around carefully a small gray bar will appear and you can create columns and rows by adding more photos.) One suggestion - be sure to use lower resolution photos as it won't upload very large file sizes. If you try to upload all 30 and it won't do it just re-size your photos until it works!

It's a fun tool to use. You can change the width and color of the grid lines between the photos and then save the completed collage as a jpeg on your computer. Please post your collages here! And it doesn't matter how many paintings you completed. Create a collage to show off the paintings you created this month.

Thanks to the 1483 artists who painted with me this month. You rock!

I have released my 2015 workshop schedule. I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!

Friday, January 30, 2015

Thanks so much for all of your kind comments about my painting yesterday. The response was amazing and the painting also sold! I was inspired to paint another one is a similar format. It's big, bold and I love it. Here is my painting in a very cool room.

In case you need reminding, today is the 30th of January. It's the last day of the 30 in 30 Challenge! There were many times this month when I thought this day would never come. And now it's here and I am sad. I am going to miss the pressure of finishing my painting every day. But I plan to continue paintings almost every day.

I have thought long and hard about what was my favorite part of this month's challenge. Aside from painting every day, it has to be discovering my love and joy in painting abstracts. Painting big, painting with acrylics, following my heart and having fun are the best way for me to describe the last 30 days. I am so lucky!

Technically the challenge is over for now. But we all know, of course it's really just the beginning.

This is the time for all of us to build upon what we have accomplished this month. Whether you painted five or thirty paintings, it doesn't matter. We have all learned something from painting more often, from blogging everyday and sharing our art on Facebook. The results have snowballed and have been amazing. Many of you told me that you have already blogged more times this month than the entire year. Most of you have found a way to leave "the stuff" behind so when you enter your studio it's all about painting. A lot of you are painting faster and having little trouble finding inspiration to paint. It's been a great 30 days and I thank you all for joining and inspiring me to paint every day this month.

Tomorrow we will head back in to our studios and paint some more. We will continue to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and take some risks. We don't need to feel rushed and we don't need to ignore our families anymore (haha). Just paint what you want, but take a little more time to build on the momentum you have created these past few weeks.

I promise we will do another 30 in 30 Challenge in 2015. In the meantime I will be busy painting and teaching and enjoying the beach house (I have a workshop there in June!)

Tomorrow I will post a collage of all of my 30 paintings. I will also post instructions as to how you can create one too. You can post your collage on my blog on January 31st. So be sure to check back tomorrow.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule. I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015. Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house. Click here for more information.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

I love this painting. It's big and colorful and represents a lot of what I have experienced and learned this month. It's been an incredible journey and a "life changing one" for sure. I hope you have enjoyed this month as much as I have. Here's to one more day!

Here is my painting in a beautiful living room!

I cannot believe it is Day 29. Only one more day in the January 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. If you are an artist participating in the Challenge I am happy to say that on January 31st we will all create and post a collage of the paintings you have complete this month. Tomorrow's blog post will include all of the instructions and information as to how to create the collage.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule. I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015. Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house. Click here for more information. I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month. Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife. Click here to sign up!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I now have the ability to add my paintings to photographs of rooms so I have included this photo to give you an idea of what my latest abstract might look like in a modern setting. I love the chair too!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule. I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015. Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house. Click here for more information.

Monday, January 26, 2015

I believe a big part of painting abstracts is developing my color palette. So far I have only painted in my Fall and Spring Palette. Today I started working on my Summer Palette. It's a process and as the paintings develop the palette will change. But so far, I am happy! The summer palette is more muted and has a lot of fun pinks and greens and blues and yellows. So stay tuned for more paintings in these colors!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule. I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house. Click here for more information. I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month. Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

This painting is truly a labor of love. It took me three full days to paint and it is very heavy due to the many layers of paint. As you know these colors are my favorite so I really enjoyed the process. Even if it did take me forever!

I will share with you a little secret. While I have been painting my abstract paintings this month I have been "binge watching" all of the episodes of The West Wing. (Actually I think I have been listening more than watching.) The West Wing has always been my favorite show but I haven't watched the show in almost ten years. I was a political science major in college and always loved the oval office subject matter. I must say the show is even better the second time around! Aaron Sorkin is a genius. I am on season IV and I do not want it to end!

So, have you ever "binge watched" a show on NetFlicks before?

I have a workshop coming up in Atlanta in March. Although we won't be painting abstracts we will be painting very loosely with a palette knife. I hope you will consider joining me! The dates are March 16 - 18, 2015. Click here for more information.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

It's Day 24 and I feel as if I am getting closer to defining my style for painting abstracts. Now when I start on a painting I use the same method "of attack". I like the vertical shapes I have painted in some of my most recent paintings. But I love adding additional movement and color as I have done with the circular shapes in this painting. I think I want to paint this similar style in a 48" x 48". How fun would that be?

We only have one week left in the 30 in 30 Challenge and I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. This month has been incredible. It's gone way above my expectations.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Here is the companion piece to the painting I posted yesterday. The paintings are titled "Cotton Candy" and "Bubble Gum". They could go side by side or on top of one another. I think they would look fabulous in a girls room!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

This painting has layers and layers of paint. These two paintings took a lot longer than I had thought they would. There are four washes on each one, which are on top of lots and lots of paint. You can only guess how long it took me to paint these simultaneously with all of the layers! I will post the companion piece tomorrow.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

I taught a workshop on Monday in Ventura to a wonderful group of ladies. We did something different as I helped them all create a personalized family collage. Some of them were large (as in 24" x 36") and included over 60 words pertaining to their families. It was fun, enjoyable and something I know they will enjoy for a very long time.

Here is the first one I made for our beach house in Ventura. And also here are the wonderful gals that were in my class!

Don't forget, you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the
beach house. Click here for more information. I am offering
Online Studio painting classes every month. Join me each month as we paint
boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click
here
to sign up.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

I was very inspired by the large 46" x 36" abstract I painted a few days ago titled "Floating Colors". I started this painting roughly the same way and I am very pleased with the outcome. The colors in this painting match my family room perfectly so I think this one will hang in my house for a while. Love, love, love.In case you hadn't noticed, it is day twenty of the Thirty Day Challenge. We are 2/3 done and really on the home stretch. Today is a great day to look back at your first twenty paintings. Examine what you have learned. Take note of the paintings you love. Then make a plan to spend the next ten days really pushing yourself in that direction! And of course, have fun!Here are my 2015 palette knife painting workshops:

Monday, January 19, 2015

I finished this painting today. It's the third painting of a matched set and all three were purchased by a client. It was fun painting the three abstracts and the sale made it even more fun! As soon as I find the right colored wall to hang these paintings I will post the three of them together.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

This is my largest abstract yet. it was a really great experience and I am not only happy with the design but I love the colors! You might get a laugh when you see how this painting started. I find with these paintings that I usually have a starting point in mind but the ending is another story. I have no idea where these paintings will end up! Fortunately I am happy so far with the end result.

How would you have finished this painting?

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

My three day palette knife painting workshop is finished and what a wonderful time we had! I am blessed with the most wonderful students and I love teaching workshops. Above is one of my paintings from the workshop. I have a workshop coming up next month in Atlanta and the dates are March 16 - 18. Click here for more information.

So I know what you are thinking - where's the abstract? I painted two abstracts today but I decided to post one of my demo palette knife paintings I completed in my workshop this week (in case you thought I had forgotten how to paint with oils.) I really like this painting and thought I should include it here! I posted the abstract in the Inlinkz so you can see I did complete one today.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Now that I ma back from Hawaii I am fully in "catch up mode". I just finished day two of my three day workshop and tonight I cooked dinner for all of my students. Plus I had the AHA show this morning and a volleyball game in Irvine last night for my son. I have been painting plenty of wonderful palette knife paintings in my workshops but no abstracts! So ... I started on on Tuesday and finished it today during a long lunch break. And this, "Glistening Reds" was created.
It's funny where these paintings start. In fact, here is a photo of the first "layer" of paint.

I added about five more layers of paint and it's funny that the finished painting doesn't look much like this at all! I love how these paintings just come to life. It's really an incredible experience. And I love acrylics and their fast drying time! I can't wait to get in my studio this weekend to experiment and paint more abstracts. I am counting down the hours!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

You can describe it however you want. But today is a big day. We hit a HUGE milestone. That's right - we are HALF WAY done. Today is day 15 and the hard part is over. Painting daily is becoming more of a habit than a task. More fun than stressful. We are on the downhill slope!

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and "likes" of the painting I posted yesterday. It's titled Stormy Weather and the response was pretty amazing. I am pretty sure that is a direction I will be seriously considering with my abstracts. The past 15 days have been incredible. I have learned so much and I love the fact that I can sense a style and direction of my abstract painting. It's been fun sharing my experience. I don't care if every painting isn't perfect. This month is all about the journey. The destination will come. But I never guessed the journey would be so much fun!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

It's wonderful to be home although six days in 80 degree weather was heaven. Our trip to watch my youngest son play volleyball was a true vacation. Lots of relaxation, sports, great food and yes ... a few cocktails! I had a very successful photo shoot at my favorite Marina in the world on Waikiki Beach!

I was back at my abstract workshop this morning. A bit jet lagged but I was very excited about this one. I brought home a painting that looked different from this one. The design was there but I really wanted to add a slight "overcoat" or "wash" of another color all over the top. I am so glad I added it because I like it so much more!

Tomorrow I start teaching a three day palette knife workshop. It will be strange to pull out my easels and not be able to paint abstracts! It looks like I will have to paint my abstract painting after the class is over. Oh my, this is going to be a busy week.

Tomorrow is a big day in the challenge. I will give you a hint ... it has to do something with being halfway done!

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

I am cured! Just when you thought I was addicted to "beach house colors", I have found some new colors to inspire me. And I love them! I love the red/orange which is a mixture of Alizarin Crimson and Cad Yellow Medium. Love, love, love.

Ok, I am happy. Even if I am back home from Hawaii.

Check out my 2015 workshop schedule! I am coming to Cape Cod, Atlanta, Charlotte and Richmond in 2015! Plus you can paint and stay with me in Ventura, CA at the beach house! Click here for more information!
I am offering Online Studio painting classes every month! Join me each month as we paint boats, roosters, glass, beach scenes, umbrellas, etc. with a palette knife! Click here to sign up!

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If you would like to join us live for our weekly "Artists Helping Artists" radio show, dial (646)915-9243 every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. PST. Otherwise click on the links below to listen to previously recorded shows! You can also click on the Artists Helping Artists logo above for all information pertaining to the weekly show!

About Me

Leslie Saeta is an award winning artist who paints fresh and colorful paintings using only a palette knife. She paints in her studio full time and has over 30 years of marketing experience. She is devoted to helping other artists sell their art, especially on-line. She hosts a weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio for artists titled “Artists Helping Artists” which is a great resource tool for all artists.
Leslie has always been interested in art but officially entered the world of fine art as a novice painter in her mid forties. Her art may appear to include energetic brushwork, but she paints exclusively with a palette knife and a heavy build-up of paint. Working with a limited palette, Leslie strives to create beautiful colors and capture the light perfectly in every painting.
In addition to being a full time artist, she is a wife and mother of three teenage boys.

Lesllie Saeta Fine Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other affiliates.